Depleted Aggies fall to Wyoming on the road 83-65
Utah State traveled to Laramie, Wyoming knowing they faced an uphill battle. That fight proved to be too much to handle, as the undermanned Aggies fell to Wyoming 83-65 on Wednesday night. Junior guard DeAngelo Isby led USU with 16 points.
With numerous Aggies held out of the contest due to injury, and with several more playing through pain, the Aggies were unable to keep up with the fast pace set by the Cowboys. Playing at over 7,000 feet above sea level in Laramie, fatigue seemed to affect the team quickly, deteriorating USU on both ends of the floor. The Aggies coughed up 14 turnovers for the game, while allowing Wyoming to shoot 50 percent from the field.
The Aggies were able to hold even with the Cowboys for the early part of the game, holding a 12-11 lead at the 14:47 mark in the first half. It would be the final lead for USU in the game, however, as Wyoming went on an 8-0 run to claim the lead for good. The Cowboys entered the half with a 46-33 lead.
Utah State attempted to build a comeback in the second half, but was unable to legitimately threat Wyoming’s lead, as the Aggies never came closer than 13 points in the final 20 minutes.
Sophomore guard Sam Merrill was the sole other Aggie to reach double figures, scoring 12 points before missing much of the second half due to foul trouble. Sophomore guard Koby McEwen tallied seven points on the night, all in the first half, plus four rebounds and three assists. Freshmen forward Daron Henson led USU with six rebounds.
Senior forward Hayden Dalton led Utah State with 27 points on 8-13 shooting, coming within one point of reaching 1,000 career points during the game. Junior guard Justin James added 14 points for the Cowboys.
The loss snapped a 3-game win streak for USU, and dropped the Aggies to 13-12 on the season and 6-6 in Mountain West play. Utah State now sits sixth in the MW standings, with games versus Boise State, Nevada, and New Mexico looming over the next three contests.
Utah State’s first opportunity to rebuild a win streak will be at home on Saturday versus Boise State. In the two teams’ first meeting of the season in Boise, the Aggies played the Broncos down to the wire before ultimately coming up short in a 71-67 loss. Tipoff for Saturday’s game is set for 7 pm.